Lacey detectives find loaded handgun near Seven Oaks Elementary School Tuesday
Lacey detectives recovered a loaded handgun near Seven Oaks Elementary School Tuesday afternoon that is believed to be connected to a series of summer crimes.
Police Sgt. Jeremy Knight said the entire Lacey detective unit searched two wooded areas adjacent to the school after receiving an anonymous tip about the weapon. He said they found the .40-caliber handgun within about 40 minutes.
“That was within line of sight and yards of Seven Oaks Elementary School,” Knight said. “We’re obviously very pleased to have recovered that firearm from that location and it is now secured in our evidence.”
Knight said the handgun is connected to a string of crimes that occurred on Aug. 28 and 30. Lacey police ultimately arrested five juveniles, four boys and one girl, after connecting multiple crime reports, The Olympian previously reported.
One of the juveniles, a 16-year-old boy, is a Lacey resident who is accused of using his parent’s car in the crime spree. The other four are from King County, Lacey police previously shared in a Sept. 4 Facebook post.
Knight said all five were booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“This could have ended very differently, and we are glad that nobody was physically injured, though we are sure they are quite shaken up,” the Sept. 4 post says.
When asked if there may be more weapons in the area, Knight said he could not say.
“I have no information about additional outstanding (weapons) that are expected to be in the area,” Knight said. “This was a particular gun that was described in fairly specific circumstances as to how it was discarded. We’re just fortunate to have been able to locate it.”
Knight said the gun was not on school property and there are no safety concerns for the school at this time.
What happened Aug. 28-30?
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office responded to a weapons violation in the 8300 block of Mullen Road at about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 30 and found bullet casings at the scene, Knight said.
Three males allegedly shot at a vehicle and fled toward the Lacey city limit, he said. Lacey officers searched the area, but he said they did not find any suspects or victims.
At about 5:45 p.m. that same day, Knight said the Sheriff’s Office responded to another weapons violation on the 3900 block of 18th Avenue Northeast. In that instance, he said someone reported that four males fired four shots and then fled the area in a blue SUV.
Officers noticed the descriptions for the SUV and the suspects in both incidents matched details from an Aug. 28 robbery at Yauger Park in west Olympia, Knight said
Olympia police investigated the incident and identified a BMW SUV that belonged to a Lacey resident. Lacey police did not find the vehicle at the owner’s address, Knight said.
Lacey police responded to another robbery at 10th Avenue and Golf Club Road, near the Pacific Avenue and Lacey Boulevard roundabout, at about 6:10 p.m. Aug. 30, Knight said.
Three juveniles reported that four to five individuals armed with handguns approached them, stole their backpacks and then fled in an SUV, Knight said. The description of the suspects matched those of the previous calls, he added.
Lacey police eventually contacted the owner of the SUV and learned their son had been driving the vehicle, Knight said. The parents tracked their son’s location to the Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) off Marvin and Steilacoom roads and officers went there, he said.
At the RAC, Knight said a parent flagged officers to report that three juveniles had just been robbed at gunpoint in the area. Officers found and detained four suspects who were walking on Steilacoom Road, he said.
Officers located the SUV on Marvin and Mullen roads moments later and took the driver into custody, he said. The driver was identified as the son of the SUV owner, he added.
Knight said detectives have been investigating the string of crimes and recently received information about the firearm near Seven Oaks Elementary School.
Detectives heard about the weapon from someone who had communicated with one of the juvenile suspects, Knight said.
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 11:42 AM.
